Sinn Féin's Opposition To Housing Plans 'Almost Beyond Belief' - Dowds

Sinn Féin's opposition to a proposal to build 50 new social housing units in Clondalkin has been described as an "absolutely disgrace and almost beyond belief".

Labour TD Robert Dowds accused Cllr Eoin Ó Broin of "complete political cowardice", and that it was people on the housing waiting list that would suffer as a result.

"Sinn Féin is saying that more action needs to be done to tackle the housing crisis. Labour has provided the money for 50 social housing units to be built at Lett's Field in Clondalkin to house 50 families in need, but now Sinn Féin want the number of houses being built to be reduced from 50 to 15. Once again, we are seeing Sinn Féin speaking out of both sides of their mouth, asking for action on something, but then opposing that action once work begins," Mr Dowds said.

"In a recent edition of a local newspaper, Eoin Ó Broin was talking about the scale of the housing crisis in one article on page 3, and in another article on page 6 proposing reducing the number of new houses being built at Lett's Field for the those on the housing list and homeless people. That kind of hypocrisy just speaks for itself."

"Sinn Féin's opposition to the building social housing during the middle of the worst housing crisis in living memory is just shameful. I appreciate that some local people are upset that the field is being built on, and won't be available for football matches, but the scale of the housing crisis is simply too great to do anything else. Collinstown Park is nearby and has plenty of football pitches available.

"I am calling on Eoin Ó Broin to do the right thing and stop his opposition to the 50 houses being built at Lett's Field. The housing crisis is simply desperate, and we cannot afford this sort of populist rubbish if we're going to get a handle on it."

(MH)